Watch What You Eat
by pingo1387
Summary: Some things that seem to be edible are, in fact, poisonous. Too bad Zoro usually can't tell the difference. 2
1. Zoro Won't Wake! Where to Find a Cure?

**Takes place between Alabasta and Skypiea **

* * *

"Nami-_swan_, Robin-_chwan_~! Breakfast is ready, my darlings!" After getting the girls, Sanji poked his head into the men's room and yelled "Get up, morons! Breakfast!"

"Breakfast!" yelled Luffy, jumping out of bed and running to the kitchen. Chopper and Usopp soon followed, and only Zoro was left behind, still asleep. Usopp paused and went to wake him up.

"Zoro… um, Zoro? Breakfast…"

Zoro didn't stir. Usopp shrugged and left him, wanting to get something to eat before Luffy devoured everything.

"Sheshe're g'd, Sh'nji!" Luffy mumbled around a mouthful of pancakes. He looked around as Usopp sat down. "Mm? Wh'rsh Sh'ro?"

"Swallow your food, you cretin!" said Sanji.

Luffy swallowed his food, choked, took a drink of water, and asked again "Where's Zoro?"

"Oh, I couldn't get him up. He was sleeping pretty heavily," Usopp said. "Anyone else wanna try?"

"Let him sleep," said Sanji. "It's his own damn fault if he misses breakfast. Nami-_swan_! Robin-_chwan_! Would you like some more pancakes~?"

"No thanks, Sanji-_kun_."

"No thank you, cook-_san_."

Once everyone was finished with their pancakes, they all headed off to do their separate things: Robin went to read, Nami to study her maps, Sanji to clean up the kitchen, Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper to play a game, and Zoro to—Zoro was still sleeping.

A few hours later, the ship had run into no trouble except an unusually tall wave. Sanji went into the kitchen, and called them all in ten minutes later for lunch. They came in the kitchen and started eating the sandwiches Sanji had prepared.

"Where's Zoro?" asked Chopper, looking around.

"Is that idiot _still_ asleep?" muttered Sanji. "Luffy, go wake him up, will you?"

"Eeeeh?" whined Luffy. "But if I go, all the food will be gone when I come back!"

"You're the one who makes it disappear! Just go!"

Luffy grumbled, but went to the men's cabin to wake up Zoro, who was still sleeping on a lower hammock. He went up to him and poked his face. "Hey… Zoro, get up! Lunch's ready!"

Zoro continued sleeping. Luffy frowned and poked him harder. There was still no reaction from the swordsman. Luffy punched him in the stomach. Zoro still didn't wake up. Luffy scratched his head and went back to the kitchen.

"Where is he?" asked Usopp. "Is he awake now?"

Luffy shook his head. "Nope. I poked him and punched him, but he didn't do anything. He's still sleeping."

Chopper jumped down from his chair. "I'll go check on him! He could be sick!"

He ran to the men's room. In a few seconds, the others abandoned their half-eaten sandwiches and followed him.

They found Chopper first shaking Zoro, then taking something out of his backpack and breaking it under Zoro's nose (presumably it was a smelling salt). When that still brought forth no reaction, he pulled out his stethoscope and pressed it to Zoro's chest. After a few more things – sticking a thermometer in his mouth, checking blood pressure—he turned around and shrugged.

"I don't know what it is," he said worriedly. "Other than the fact that he seems to be in a coma, he's perfectly healthy. His heartbeat, blood pressure, and temperature are all normal for him."

"Maybe it was caused by his wounds from Alabasta?" suggested Nami. "He lost a lot of blood then…"

"No, those are fully healed, and that was several days ago anyway," replied Chopper. "The last thing I can do is a blood test."

He whipped out a syringe and stuck it in Zoro's arm (Nami looked away). After taking a sample, he ran off somewhere to run some tests. The others waited with the sleeping man. Luffy took out a marker.

About ten minutes later, Chopper ran back into the room with a fat book under his arm. "I found out what's wrong with him!"

"Good, maybe you can fix his stupidity," said Sanji.

"What? No, I meant why he's in a coma."

"Damn. Well, while you're at it, try to fix his stupidity too."

Luffy capped the pen he'd been using to draw a bushy mustache and fat eyebrows on Zoro. "So what's wrong with him?"

Chopper opened the book and flipped to page 394. He pointed to the picture. "This is what's causing it!"

The others leaned in. Nami squinted at the words and asked "It's being caused by werewolves?"

"Of course!" Usopp exclaimed. "That explains everything!"

"What?" Chopper looked at the page. "Why is this even in here? This is a book on mushrooms… anyway, that's the wrong page! Sorry, it was _4_9_3_, not _3_9_4_…"

He flipped to the correct page and showed them a section on a black-and-white mushroom. Luffy tilted his head. "I don't get it."

"This mushroom," said Chopper, reading from the book now, "has the unusual effect of causing a person to fall into a coma without any apparent cause. Its effects can lay dormant for years, depending on the individual who ate it."

"So he's sleeping because of a weird mushroom?" Sanji asked for confirmation. Chopper nodded.

"Then…" said Usopp. "The reason he sleeps so much is because of this mushroom!?"

"And to think we were angry at him for it sometimes…" sighed Nami.

"Actually…" said Chopper. "The mushroom wouldn't have anything to do with his naps."

"Does it say anything about a cure, doctor-_san_?" asked Robin.

"Um…" Chopper scanned the section, looked at the next page, looked at the spine of the book, and cried out in shock. He showed them the torn edge of a ripped page. "The page for the cure is missing! It got torn out!"

"Damn it," Nami swore. "What are we supposed to do about him now?"

"Why not wait until we reach the next island," suggested Robin, "and then ask any doctors we find there about a cure, if they happen to know of one."

"That's the best we can do right now, I suppose," said Nami. "But the mushroom itself isn't deadly?"

Chopper shook his head. "Not exactly. But since it causes comas, people can't get food or water for themselves, so they end up dying."

"That won't happen to Zoro, right!?" exclaimed Luffy.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the necessary equipment to give him nourishment and liquids," said Chopper, starting to shake. He looked up with tears in his eyes. "If he dies… it'll be my fault…"

"It's not your fault, Chopper!" protested Usopp. "We'll get help at the next island, okay?"

"We'll reach the next island tomorrow," said Nami, brightening, "so that should be enough time, right?"

Chopper nodded. Luffy took out his pen again and drew a star on each of Zoro's cheeks.


	2. Over the Wall and Into the Guillotine!

"Land! I see land! It's the island!"

Luffy's happy shouting drew the crew (excluding Zoro) to the deck. Indeed, the island lay ahead. It was large, and the towns close enough for them to see looked cheerful.

But about halfway across the island from the side they approached on, a giant black wall loomed at least ten meters above ground level, completely dividing the island in half. It had an ominous, forbidding air that the pirates could sense just looking at it from afar.

"That wall looks _awesome_," Luffy said, quivering with anticipation. He grabbed the edge of the crow's nest and stretched himself down. "I'm gonna go see what's over it!"

"Luffy, wait!" Usopp exclaimed, grabbing his captain and trying to hold him down. "There must be a reason for that wall, so we probably shouldn't go over it, you know? What if it's illegal and we get arrested—"

"Gum-Gum . . ."

"Wait, stupid!" Sanji yelled, grabbing onto Luffy's other side. "Usopp's right, we should ask around this side first—"

". . . ROCKET!"

Luffy launched himself, Sanji, and Usopp high into the air and eventually over the great wall, the latter two screaming as they held onto Luffy.

The rest of the crew stared after them.

Nami sighed. "I guess I'm in charge for now, since Zoro or Usopp can't act as captain. Right, everyone, we're going to explore this side of the island, look for help for Zoro, and learn as much as we can about whatever's on the other side!"

"Okay, captain Nami!" Chopper exclaimed happily, though he threw a worried glance over his shoulder in the direction of the ones who went flying.

"Yes, Navigator-Captain-_san_."

* * *

Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji landed hard on a cobbled street on the other side. Luffy got up, dusted himself off, and laughed. "That was fun! Now, what's on this side—huh? Usopp? Sanji? Why are you sleeping there?"

"It's your fault, idiot," Usopp said through a mouthful of stone.

They slowly got themselves up and picked off all the bits of stone. Luffy looked around.

"This place seems really boring . . . there's no color . . ." Luffy sighed, looking around.

"No color?" Usopp repeated, looking around the street. "What . . ."

Every small house along the cobbled street was the color of stone. There were no vivid plants to be seen, no flowers or trees, and what little grass grew was dry and an ugly yellowish color. Only the sky was a bright, beautiful blue.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," Sanji muttered, momentarily bringing a flash of red-orange to the surroundings as he lit his cigarette.

* * *

Robin and Chopper disappeared below deck and reappeared moments later carrying Zoro (who still had Luffy's drawings on his face) between them. The three climbed down from the ship (Chopper tossed down Zoro to Robin), deciding to take a risk and leave it unguarded, Nami reasoning that there wasn't any treasure on board anyway.

The people were generally friendly to them, though many gave them strange looks. It had to look odd to the townsfolk, these strangers carrying a full-grown man with a mustache, fat eyebrows, and stars on his cheeks. They soon decided to stop and ask for temporary shelter at a house.

Nami knocked on the door three times. It swung open a moment later to reveal a man, probably older than 50, with salt-and-pepper hair. He looked them up and down.

"May I help you?" he asked politely.

"Sorry to bother you, but could we come in for a while? We'd like to ask you some questions about this place, and lay this guy on a bed for a few minutes." She nodded to Zoro.

"Ah, yes, yes," he said, stepping back. "Er, just through that door, you'll find a bed you can put him on . . ."

They entered. Robin and Chopper laid Zoro down on the bed. The owner of the house pulled up some chairs, which they then sat in. He sat in one himself and looked at them.

"What exactly do you want to know?" he inquired.

"Do you know where can we get medical help for him?" Chopper asked, pointing to Zoro. "He's in a coma right now and we don't have the necessary equipment to take care of him."

"Ah, I see," he said. "There's a doctor that lives just down the street. He might be able to help you with that."

"Thanks!" Chopper exclaimed happily.

"But, you know . . ." he added, rubbing his chin and staring at Zoro. "I can't help but feel that I've seen him somewhere before . . ."

"He used to be a bounty hunter," Nami offered. "Maybe that's it?"

"I don't think so . . . but maybe you're right . . ." he stared at Zoro for another minute before turning back to them. "What else did you want to know?"

"Is there any way to get to the other side of that huge wall?" Nami asked. "Our stupid captain launched himself and a couple of others to the other side."

"Your . . . friends are over there?" the man gasped. "Oh, dear. Oh, dear me. That's not good at all."

"What's the matter?" Chopper asked.

He looked at them gravely. "I'm afraid your friends may be executed soon."

* * *

Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji turned around at the sound of a whistle. There were running footsteps, moving towards them, accompanied by shouts of "The sound came from over there!" and "We've got you now, criminal!"

"You know, I think we should run," Sanji said casually.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Usopp asked in a false-cheerful tone.

The three immediately turned around and ran. They moved past gray houses, gray streets, gray curtains hanging in gray windows.

"I think we lost them," Luffy gasped a moment later.

"Don't let him get away!" someone shouted from a ways off.

"Guess not," Sanji sighed.

A door opened behind them. Before they could turn around, a hand grabbed the back of their shirts—one hand each. They were pulled into one of the gray houses, the door shutting behind them. Quick as a wink, rolled-up cloth was stuffed in their mouths and all three were piled together into a lightless broom closet. Someone shut the door, encasing them in darkness.


	3. Divided Island! Gray and Color!

"Executed!?" Nami exclaimed. "Why would they be executed!?"

"It's the way they do things over there," he said grimly. "Beyond the Wall is an unjust monarchy, where _they_ do what they like with the citizens."

"If you don't mind telling us, sir," said Robin, "what is that large wall for? What's on the other side?"

He looked down, very quiet. He was silent for several seconds before looking up. "The Wall . . . is an abomination."

They waited.

"You see . . . about ten years ago, the government was in turmoil. Half of them wanted to rule this land as a monarchy and create the Gray Kingdom, while the other half wanted to rule it as a republic and create the Republic of Color. They decided to split this island in half with the Wall. It happened before anyone knew what was happening. People who happened to live on one side were trapped. The Wall completely encircles the Gray Kingdom, while the Republic of Color is allowed to go and sail as they please."

"That's horrible!" Chopper exclaimed. "Weren't families separated?"

"Yes," he said, looking down at his lap and tightening his hands. "In fact, my own three daughters were trapped in the Gray Kingdom. I haven't seen them since then. No contact of any kind is allowed between the citizens of the two halves—that's one of the only rules the rulers could agree on."

"You poor man," Nami said sympathetically.

"_One_ of the only rules," Robin noted. "Are there any others?"

"Yes," he said. "If a criminal happens to cross from one side to the other—say, from Gray Kingdom to this side—the side it was originally on cannot chase them down there, or ask the other government to do something about it. I hear that in the Gray Kingdom, one of the many strict rules is that no one is allowed to have eaten a Devil Fruit. If someone is caught with a Devil Fruit power, they will be executed immediately."

Nami put her head in her hands. Chopper gasped. Robin narrowed her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked, looking around at them.

"Our stupid friends got themselves launched over that wall by a Devil Fruit power one of them has," Nami groaned.

"Oh, dear," he said. "That's even worse . . . I fear for the safety of your friends."

"I hope they'll be all right," said Chopper worriedly.

"It doesn't seem like we can do much at the moment," Robin observed. "In the meantime, I think we should get Swordsman-_san_ to the doctor."

"Right, Robin," Nami agreed. She stood up with Chopper. Robin and Chopper took Zoro between them again.

"Thanks for the help, mister . . ." Nami said.

"Kemushi," he said.

". . . Mr. Kemushi," she completed. They shook hands and the three left.

* * *

Abeille stepped outside, wearing her drab gray clothes. She had dulled short brown hair and hazel eyes. The guards came running around the corner, holding guns and dressed in similar clothes.

"Did you see someone run by here?" one of them asked her abruptly.

"Oh, yes, I did!" She exclaimed, pointing down the street. "They went that way and rounded the corner!"

The guards took off down the street, not bothering to thank her. She waited until they were out of sight before stepping back into her house, shutting the door, and closing the curtains.

"All clear!" she whispered to her two sisters in the room. They nodded and opened the closet, allowing Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji to topple out. The girls took the socks out of their mouths, and there was some coughing before anyone spoke.

"What . . . the hell . . ." Sanji growled, looking up. His eyes turned into hearts. "Oh! I see one, two, three beautiful ladies before me!"

"What was that for?" Luffy asked, frowning. "Who are you guys?"

"Sorry about that," replied the middle sister, checking out the window. "But if we hadn't hidden you, you would have been caught and killed."

"Killed!?" Usopp exclaimed.

The youngest sister nodded. "It's how they do things around here."

"Come and sit down," Abeille offered.

The three sisters and three pirates sat across from each other in the living room, where the walls and furniture were gray.

"I'm Perperuda," the middle sister said. She had dulled, short blonde hair and light brown eyes.

"I'm Ampiainen," the youngest said. Her hair was dull, short, and light brown. She had hazel eyes like her oldest sister's.

"Such beautiful names . . ." cooed Sanji.

"You're not from around here," Abeille stated. "How did you get here?"

"I launched us over that big wall," Luffy said. The girls stared at him.

"How!?" Perperuda exclaimed.

Luffy grinned and stretched out his cheek with a finger. "I ate the Gum-Gum fruit, so I'm made of rubber!"

"A Devil Fruit!?" Abeille cried.

"Yeah," he said, letting his cheek snap back. "What's wrong?"

"In this place," said Ampiainen grimly, "having a Devil Fruit or the power of one is forbidden and punishable by death. Of course, a lot of things are punishable by death . . ."

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked shakily. "D-Death? And why's everything gray here? The other side looked a lot more colorful . . ."

"I'll explain," Abeille offered.

* * *

"Doctor!" called Nami, walking into the clinic. "Excuse me, we need a doctor!"

Someone dressed in white came around the corner. "Hello, what seems to be the problem?"

Nami gestured to Zoro. "This idiot's in a coma. Can you help him?"

"Oh my, yes," he said. He called for a couple of nurses, who took Zoro and carried him to a bed. They hooked some I.V.s to his arm and filled the bags with various liquids.

"I'll need some information, if you don't mind," he said, taking out a pen and paper attached to a clipboard. "I'm Dr. Mayi. What is this young man's name?" he glanced at Zoro as he said this and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh, never mind . . ." he wrote something down. "Could I have one of your names?"

"I'm Nami."

He nodded and wrote it down. "How long has he been asleep?"

"Since a couple nights ago," she said.

"That would explain it," he muttered. "Do you have any idea what could have caused the coma?"

Chopper nodded. "It's the Psyllos Mushroom. We don't know when exactly he ate it."

The doctor froze. "The Psyllos Mushroom?"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, dear," he said sadly. "I'm afraid we don't carry the cure for that particular mushroom."

* * *

**Bonus points to you if you can spot the pattern with the names!**


	4. No Cure? The Color Alliance is Revealed!

"You don't carry the cure!?" Chopper exclaimed. "Oh no . . ." he started crying.

"It's okay, little boy," Dr. Mayi said soothingly, patting Chopper in a comforting manner. "We can keep him stable for now, at least. But, listen . . ." he glanced around. "Are you sure you want to be associating with this man?"

"Excuse me?" Nami said huffily. "We'll associate with who we want, thanks."

"It's just . . ." he glanced back at Zoro. "You must be aware that this man is a wanted criminal . . ."

"Wanted criminal?" Robin repeated. "I wasn't aware that he has a bounty."

"Well, he doesn't . . . as far as we know . . ." Nami said.

"He doesn't, actually," Dr. Mayi said, "I only meant that the government is after him. Did none of you know?"

"Well, we knew that the Government is after him," Nami said, sighing. "But we just want him to get back to his normal idiotic self."

"There might be a way to get the cure," he said slowly. "Now, my services cost 500 beris per day, so—"

"Drop it down to 100 and you've got a deal," Nami said sweetly.

"That's far too low!"

"50?"

"That's even lower!" he protested.

Nami eventually got it down to 100 beris. Dr. Mayi sighed.

"As I was saying, there might be a way to get the cure," he said. "Here's my idea . . ."

* * *

"I see," Sanji said, blowing out smoke. "I think I've got the situation down: A tyrannical monarchy, repressed citizens trapped behind high walls, and three beautiful ladies set out to rebel . . . Abeille-_chan_, Peperuda-_chan_, Ampiainen-_chan_, may I just say that you three are AMAZING~!" His eyes became hearts.

Usopp smacked him. "Girls, didn't you say that you had a man working with you? Where is he?"

Sanji made an irritated noise. "Another man, moving in on _my_ girls . . . ?"

"Right," Abeille said. "His name is Mijat. He's our most powerful ally—no, he's really our _only_ ally, aside from us. He's been openly defying the monarchy by spray-painting the Wall in broad daylight, when we're not even supposed to get close to it. He's been writing messages that speak out against the monarchy and the Wall. Not only that, but . . . he's found a way to the other side."

"Where is it?" Luffy asked.

"We don't know," said Peperuda. "He said that if anyone gets caught, it should be him, and so he hasn't told us anything. But he said that he sprays messages there as well, saying things about how the Wall should come down with our monarchy. He's a wanted criminal on that side, too."

"He sounds really brave . . ." Usopp said admiringly. "Where is he?"

The girls shared a three-way glance. "We haven't heard from him for a couple of days," Ampiainen admitted. "We're actually really worried about him."

"You poor dears," Sanji cooed. "You must be so scared!"

"Come this way," Abeille said, standing up. "I'd like to show you something."

She started walking down the hallway of the gray house, her younger sisters following. A second later she poked her head back in the living room. "You three coming?"

"What if it's a trap?" Usopp whispered to Luffy and Sanji.

"It's not a trap," Luffy said with a tone which indicated that he was stating a fact.

"How do you know?"

"Because," Luffy said. "I just do."

"He's right," Sanji agreed. "Beautiful ladies such as these wouldn't set a trap for us!"

The two stood up and followed the girls out of the room.

"W-Wait!" Usopp called after them. When they didn't come back, he whimpered and ran after them, saying "Don't leave me alone!"

The girls led them to a kitchen with a gray tiled floor. Abeille knelt down by one that had a dent in it. She carefully stuck her finger into the dent and pulled up. The tile swung up on a hinge, bringing eight tiles up with it—two on each side and two rows above—to reveal a previously hidden staircase. The girls descended the stairs and the Strawhats followed.

Eventually they reached the bottom. In the darkness, they could make out Abeille reaching her hand out towards the wall. She grabbed something small. There was a _chhk_ noise just before a tiny flame sprang to life on the match in her hand. She used it to light several oil lamps around the room.

Now illuminated, everyone could see that the room they were in was very large. It must have expanded all underneath the house. The walls were painted with bright, ludicrous colors splashed haphazardly on. Written on one wall in bright red were the words 'COLOR ALLIANCE'.

"Here it is," Abeille said with a touch of pride. "Our meeting room."

"It's so . . . bright," Usopp said, gazing at the spectrum.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Surrounded by a rainbow and three beautiful girls . . . this is my lucky day~!" Sanji said happily.

"There's another entrance for Mijat to use," Peperuda said, nodding towards a second set of stairs that led up a dark and long passageway. "It's not in our house, since it would look suspicious for him to constantly be entering our place."

"We meet here every so often to discuss plans for the overthrow of the monarchy," Ampiainen said. "To be honest, though, we haven't come up with much."

"But why are you telling _us_ all this?" Usopp asked, bemused. "We barely know each other! Me, Luffy, and Sanji literally flew into this place!"

"You'll be wanted criminals anyway," Peperuda said matter-of-factly. "You're clearly outsiders, and outsiders aren't allowed in without the express permission of the monarchy."

"We don't want you to be caught," Ampiainen explained. "The best way to avoid capture is to stay with us, and in here."

"And since no one knows just how long you'll be in the Gray Kingdom . . ." Abeille extended her hand. "How would you three like to join the Color Alliance?"


	5. A Cure Is on Its Way! Mystery Man Mijat!

"You see," explained, "I have a colleague on an island not too far from here that might have the antidote for the Psyllos. I can get him on the Snail and ask him to bring it over here."

"Really?" Nami asked. "That's great!"

Dr. Mayi nodded. "Just give me a minute here . . ."

He went to the Transponder Snail sitting nearby and picked it up, dialing a number. Someone picked up a moment later with a wary "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Dr. Mayi, calling from the Republic of Color . . ."

"Mayi! Hi! How are you?"

"Fine, but listen, I need something. Do you carry the cure for the Psyllos mushroom?"

* * *

"Join the Color Alliance?" Luffy repeated.

Abeille nodded. "Just temporarily, until you can get back together with your friends."

"You guys need some time to think about it?" Ampiainen asked. "We can leave you alone if you'd like . . ."

"Sure, okay," Luffy said. The girls went upstairs to wait in the kitchen.

"What do you guys think?" Usopp said once they were gone.

"I'll join _anything_ if those three lovely ladies are participating~!" Sanji twirled around. "I'm in!"

Usopp raised a finger. "I-I dunno . . . we just met these girls, we don't know much about them—"

"I'm gonna do it," Luffy said.

"Wh-What!? Why?!"

"Because I like them," he said. "And I wanna help them."

"B-But—"

"You're outnumbered here, Usopp," Sanji said. "What'll it be?"

"W-Well," Usopp said, straightening up and putting a fist to his chest, "I'll just have to join as well, won't I? I need to protect you two from any dangers that might arise, and—"

"Your legs are shaking," Sanji pointed out.

"N-No they're not!"

The three girls came back downstairs. "Did you guys decide?" Abeille asked.

"Yeah, we're in," Luffy said. Usopp made a small noise of protest.

"Great!" Peperuda said happily. "We'll let you know if there's anything you can do, but in the meantime, it would be safest for you three to stay down here."

"Hey, girls?" Usopp said. "Can you tell us what Mijat looks like?"

"Why?" Ampiainen asked.

"Well, say that he comes down here when you three aren't here . . . we need to know that it's him and not some government agent."

"Good point . . ." Abeille said. "Okay. He's . . . almost six feet tall, I think . . ."

"His hair color is black, but he dyes the hair on his scalp green," Peperuda added.

"And he has a thick mustache," Ampiainen said, "fat eyebrows, and two black star tattoos, one on each cheek."

"And his mustache and eyebrows are black?" Sanji asked for confirmation. The girls nodded.

"We should go back up," Peperuda said. "It would look suspicious if government agents came and we weren't there."

"We'll bring you guys some food!" Abeille said as they ascended the stairway.

* * *

"Hold on . . ." there was the sound of shuffling around. "Yes, I do. Why?"

"He has it!" Chopper said happily.

Dr. Mayi explained the situation. ". . . so do you think you could come to the island and drop off the cure?"

The man on the other end sighed. "Yeah, but I'm only doing this for you. I'll have to pay the Leaving-the-Island tax to Mayor Wetton."

"Thanks! I knew I could count on you! Just bring it as soon as possible, okay?"

"Uh-huh. Bye."

_Kacha_

Dr. Mayi hung up as well and turned to Robin, Chopper, and Nami. "Will you three please go to the east coast and meet him there? I'll keep watch over him while you wait." He gestured to the still-sleeping Zoro.

"Sure, no problem," Nami said. They went out and started walking to the coast.


	6. Look-Alike? Zoro's In Trouble!

**Guys, I'm really** **sorry - I keep getting the doctor's name mixed up with the other characters. I went back and fixed this; here's a thing:**

**-Dr. Mayi - the doctor Nami, Robin, and Chopper went to see about Zoro**

**-Mr. Kemushi - the kind old man who explained to the three about how the island works**

**-Mijat - the wanted criminal and friend of Abeille, Peperuda, and Ampiainen**

**By the way, "Abeille" is pronounced "Ah-bay", and "Ampiainen" is pronounced "Ahm-pee-eye-nehn".**

* * *

Nami sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. "Just how long do we have to wait for this guy?"

"We don't know how far away his island is, so . . ." Chopper trailed off at the end and looked out to the sea.

"Do you think that it was okay to leave swordsman-_san_ without any of us there?" Robin asked thoughtfully.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Nami said dismissively. "That doctor seemed nice enough, even though he knew Zoro was a criminal."

"Yes, about that . . ." Robin said. "I thought it was strange that he recognized him right away. He may be wanted, but he doesn't have a bounty yet, correct?"

"That's right," Nami agreed.

"How _did_ he know, if Zoro doesn't have a bounty?" Chopper asked curiously.

"Sometimes the Marines can send messages back and forth about certain individuals," Robin explained. "They can warn them about said individual, telling them to keep an eye on them, if that person has been known to cause trouble."

"Oooh," Chopper said, understanding. "Okay."

"I only thought it was strange," Robin continued, "because I haven't seen a Marine base on this island."

* * *

Dr. Mayi switched out one of the I.V.s on the green-haired man's arm, replacing it with fresh fluid. He then checked the others, making sure that nothing was out of place.

There was a knock on the door.

* * *

"Maaaaaaah . . ." Luffy groaned, rolling around on the floor of the hideout. "I'm booooored . . ."

"We could play tag," Usopp suggested half-heartedly.

"We're in an enclosed space and we have three people," Sanji pointed out. "Tag wouldn't be very much fun."

Luffy groaned again and continued rolling around on the floor.

"We could play soccer," Sanji suggested. "Luffy, you be the ball."

"Hey, that could work!" Usopp agreed.

"What!? I don't wanna be the ball!" Luffy complained.

In answer, Sanji kicked him across to Usopp. "Pass him back here, Usopp!"

Usopp kicked him back to Sanji. "Hey, this is fun!"

Luffy unrolled himself and stood up before Sanji could kick him again. Sanji frowned. "There goes our ball."

"_You_ be the ball, Usopp," Luffy grumbled.

"Hey, I'm not made of rubber! It'll hurt me way more than it would hurt you!" Usopp protested loudly.

After a few minutes of fighting, they settled down. Luffy started rolling around on the floor again.

"You know, something's been bothering me," Sanji said after a moment.

"Yeah?" Usopp asked from where he was lying on the ground.

"The girls' description of Mijat."

"What about it?" Luffy asked.

"Well . . . don't we all know someone who looks a lot like what they described him as?"

"Who're you talking about?" Usopp asked, frowning. "We don't even know anyone with green—oh, wait."

"Exactly."

"But . . ." Luffy frowned, trying to remember. "They said he had a mustache and star tattoos on his face, right? Zoro doesn't have a mustache . . ." he laughed. "That would look weird."

"W-Wait, Luffy," Usopp said nervously. "Remember what you did to Zoro yesterday?"

Luffy stared at him. "Uh . . . I punched him in the stomach?"

"No, after that. When Chopper was going to get the book."

"Oh, yeah, I drew that stuff on his face—" he stopped and thought. "Oh. _Oh_!"

"You guys get it now?" Sanji asked. "If their description was accurate, our moss-head looks a hell of a lot like that criminal right now."

"Aw, I'm sure he'll be fine, Sanji!" Luffy said cheerfully. "Nami and Robin and Chopper are with him!"

"I hope you're right . . ." Usopp muttered.

* * *

Dr. Mayi took one last glance at the comatose man on the bed and went to answer the door. He pushed it open a notch and peered out to see several uniformed officials waiting.

"May I help you?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, Dr. Mayi," the one closest to him replied. "We received word that the criminal Mijat was seen being carried into this building. Sorry to butt in, but we'll need to arrest him now."

"I refuse," Dr. Mayi said resolutely. "I know he's a criminal, but really, he hasn't done anything that bad!"

"He's sprayed graffiti all over the Wall and he's knocked down several small buildings in protest."

". . . like I said, he hasn't done anything that—"

"Mayi, please cooperate with us here," the officer said in exasperation. "We need to arrest that man."

"I can't let you do that!" he said angrily. "He's comatose right now! He can't go to jail!"

"How do we know you're not just protecting him?"

"Look, you can ask anyone in this building to administer tests, and they'll all tell you that this man is definitely in a coma!"

"Would it be acceptable if we could move the equipment needed for him (assuming that it _is_ needed) with him into the jail cell?"

Mayi hesitated, then deflated. "I . . . suppose so. But listen, there are some people waiting for him at the coast. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"People waiting for him at the coast?" the officer said. "Interesting. Men, move the criminal and all the necessary equipment to the jail! You two—" he pointed to two of the other officers. "Come with me. I think we should pay a visit to these people at the coast."


End file.
